Djoser, built 1,400 years before Ramses.
"This was the cream of Ramses' society,"
says Tawfik. "Remember, Memphis was the
administrative capital, where the day-to-day
business of empire was carried on." We walk
amid crumbling wall foundations and pits 30
feet deep. Over one pit rises a scaffold with a
winch needed to pull heavy stone sarcophagi
from the burial chambers below.
We visit the temple-like tomb of Neferron
pet, Ramses' chief administrator. At the rear is
the base of a small pyramid.
"These people were rich; they wanted pyra
mids like the king's," says Tawfik.
I wander amid the tombs. Ghosts abound:
the overseer of the army and the overseer of
the royal household, the royal physician, the
keeper of the house of gold and silver, the
In a forest ofcolumns, touristsmarvel at
the temple ofKarnak, birthplaceof
Amun, greatest ofEgyptiangods. Ramses
11 and his father, Seti, raisedthis hall,
one of the largest built until modern
times. Originallyplastered,painted,and
roofed, the temple filled during thefesti
val of Opet, a month-long ritualof
renewal. The exterior of the north wall
(left) displays incised reliefs commemo
ratingthe victories ofSeti.
During thefestival, a statue ofAmun
was carriedfrom Karnak to the temple of
Luxor (map andfollowingpages).